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International E-Government Development pp 271–290Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

Learning from Opening Data in the Context of E-Governance: Finland, with Special Reference to Government Location Data

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Abstract

The purpose of this chapter is to construct a framework to examine change in e-governance, apply this framework in a one-country case study on opening government location data, and draw conclusions. The conceptual framework is comprised of four dimensions: influential historical, social and political mechanisms; the diffusion of innovations; stages of e-governance development; and facilitators of change. The research material is comprised of documents and interviews. According to the results, the will for e-governance change must accumulate in government and elsewhere, e-governance change has to be legitimated with accounts of its benefits, the costs of the change have to be accounted for, and organizational and individual facilitators may be needed. Conclusions are drawn for future research and concerning e-governance practice in developed and developing countries.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of the Social Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

    Pertti Ahonen

Authors
  1. Pertti Ahonen
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Accounting and Finance, University of Granada, Granada, Spain

    Laura Alcaide Muñoz

  2. Department of Accounting and Finance, University of Granada, Granada, Spain

    Manuel Pedro Rodríguez Bolívar

Appendices

Appendix 1 Persons Interviewed for the Article

  • Kauhanen-Simainainen, Anne, Senior Councilor, Ministry of Finance, Public Sector ICT, Helsinki, 9 April 2015

  • Kosonen, Antti, Director of Development, The National Land Survey, Helsinki, 26 May 2015

  • Poikola, Antti, Chair, Open Knowledge Finland, 12 June 2015

  • Rainio, Antti, retired civil servant (previously, e.g., Ministry of Finance, the National Land Survey), Kauniainen, 15 June 2015

  • Nykänen, Mika, Director-General, Geological Survey, Espoo, 25 June 2015

  • Kahra, Antti, Chief of Data Management, Geological Survey, Espoo, 25 June 2015

  • Ahonen-Rainio, Paula, Aalto University, Espoo, 2 June 2016

  • Rissanen, Olli-Pekka, Senior Councilor, Ministry of Finance, Public Sector ICT, 7 June 2016

  • Vertanen, Antti, Head of Information Services, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, 1 July 2016

Appendix 2 Framework for Questions in the Semi-Structured Interviews

The framework was heuristically used in the interviews as a source of prompts to the interviewees rather than questions posed to the interviewees.

 1. When efforts to open data evolved, did problems emerge threatening the opening project?

 2. Did the problems derive from the characteristics of the case?

 3. Did the actors intending to open data commit mistakes?

 4. Did or did not they ultimately gain control over the situation?

 5. To resolve the problems indicated, what kinds of measures did the actors take or attempt?

 6. How well did these measures succeed?

 7. Were alternative courses of action to those originally pursued considered and, possibly, followed?

 8. What, if any, procedures were used to learn from the mistakes made?

 9. What lessons were possibly learned?

10. Can these lessons be generalized beyond the specific case, such as to other cases in the same country?

11. What theoretical or other generally valid ideas and pieces of practical advice if any emerged from the case?

12. How do the experiences of the case fit in with any of the existing theories or other established views of ICT success of failure?

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Ahonen, P. (2018). Learning from Opening Data in the Context of E-Governance: Finland, with Special Reference to Government Location Data. In: Alcaide Muñoz, L., Rodríguez Bolívar, M. (eds) International E-Government Development . Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-63284-1_11

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